Quote:Well, if Calzaghe is such a champ he should start fighting real contenders.

Calzaghe has defended his title successfully against 6 world champions over the last 10 years, and has never taken anything other than ranked oponents. 43-0-0. 31 wins by KO, 25 of those KO's coming within 4 rounds. All challenges taken, no one avoided. Manfredo is ranked number 6 in the world by the WBC, and within 2 minutes looked like a lost puppy being thrashed by a bad owner- the gulf in skill was that great. I think the ref stopped the fight too early, but even if he had let it go on, it would only be for another 15 seconds to see Manfredo sprawled on the canvas- good for photopraphers, not so good for the health of the fighter.No one ever thought Manfredo stood a chance, but the smart money was on him having enough about him to put up a fight until the late rounds, or even sneak his way into going to points. But like Lacy before him, he took Calzaghe lightly, thought him old and overated, and found his opinion to be incorrect inside of 9 minutes.

Calzaghe wants Jermaine Taylor in July, that will be a great fight, and a great win for Joe. Maybe then the American fight fans will finaly concede the simple fact that Calzaghe is one of the real all time greats of boxing.

Quote:This all comes down to one man: Frank Warren, Calzaghes promoter.

And HBO. Calzaghe is still not getting the yanks excited enough for big PPV revenue. Manfredo is high profile in the US public eye, and his predictable 'ham n' egger' style was perfect for Joe to show off against. The fight was a PR oppertunity for Both fighters. For Manfredo it was a chance to gain respect for his boxing, for Joe, a chance to reach a wider US audience. Manfredo's dismal performance and the ref's nervous actions mean that neither part of the plan came to fruition. Thats why Warren was so livid with the ref- he wanted a HBO highlight rich display, but the ref saved the punchbag before it split.

I agree about the referee stopping the fight. I would have liked it to go a bit further, this is a world title fight for Pete's sake! Having said that, I respect the ref's choice to save Manfredo from further punishment, which WOULD HAVE COME. Manfredo didn't get a good shot in all night, and Calzaghe was frankly taking the p!ss.

These match-ups can't be helping Calzaghe's career, he hasn't got that many fights left in him. Taylor would be a great fight, then I would like to see him unify with Kessler. I have no doubt that Calzaghe will win them both. After that, I personally would love to see a fight with Alan Greene, who has really heavy hands and would be a great Lacey-like match-up, that again I think calzaghe would win. After that though, I can't see Calzaghe fighting much more. So I say get a move on Joe! July is a good time to fight, if he leaves it longer, then he will risk losing the legacy that he certainly deserves.

In the other fights- Amir Khan was awesome as always. He really showed some sitting down on his punches this time and the power was plain to see. Add to that, it was difficult to even see his hands move they were so quick, and you have a great fighter. His opponent may have thought he had an answer, but getting in the ring is a whole different story.

Maccarenelli was also brilliant, albeit against an opponent who didn't deserve to be in the ring with him. Enzo has incredible power, I reckon the most of anybody in his weight class. It's also nice to see how much more of a technical boxer he is since joining the Calzaghe camp.

All in all, this was a case of a group of challengers coming to Wales cocky and unprepared to fight 3 british guys that were way out of their league. It is a very exciting time for British boxing, and the faster the Americans realise it, the faster we'll get to see some more classic fights.

Too eager sometimes, his hands don't come back to guard after some of his combos.

Very little head movement.

Question is, can he cope with Calzaghes speed? Calzaghe gets in and out. If Kessler is backing up for most of the fight, he may find it hard to cope. In his favour though, he does have decent handspeed.

One other thing regarding this fight: Andrade, although unbeaten, was there to be hit. At one point he actually drops his hands in a show of bravado and lets Kessler hit him 4 or 5 times. Calzaghe will be much, much harder to find.